A new most awesome diagram

I love having chats. Chats crystallise my thoughts. Thanks Yago.
I have a new thought for today. Actually, better than that. What do planners love more than a thought?- a quality diagram.

How marketers are thinking?
Look at this diagram. It is a representation of the high-school style peer pressure issues that marketers face today. It represents all the typical, unhelpful questions that marketers ask, in that I-don't-even-stop-for-breath way:
"What's this new hot media platform I read about in AdWeek? Why aren't we doing it? Why is a brand, not even in our category doing this hot cool thing and we aren't?"
So that's this diagram. Also known as the "I want to be cool" diagram. Marketers see a platform and want to push it out to users (pushers, Ha Ha. I didn't even see that one coming!), without thinking about strategy, target and aim.
Also remember that whenever anyone OR anything flags that they're "cool" you know straight away, in that instant, that they're not. It's about being like the Fonz. You exude cool without having to tell the world about it.

How marketers should be thinking
This diagram is where we need to head. This is the new, clean approach that we're beginning to see unfold.
"What does my consumer actually need and how do I meet it?"

This diagram, in layman's terms is the "How do I make sales?" model. This is where advertising taps into the needs of consumers and actually meets our strategy, target and aim. It can be both virtual and real world. And offering some real benefit, some value to a person's life.
It does that without having to offer these fancy whizz-bang whatevers that consumers don't care about or get any real product benefit from.

So marketers out there, put down that drug of peer pressure. Look at your product/brand, look at your consumer and really understand how you can extend that product usage in your consumer's day to day life. It's going to be a hard transition, you'll suffer from withdrawal, and you will get envious at what those apparent cool kids are doing.
But, in the end, your bottom line will be secure. You will have a valid future and those other marketers, the ones that took those peer pressure drugs, they'll look like drug addicts do in 20 years time - old, tired, ugly and one foot in the grave.

A detailed explanation on Android and the Google phone platform

Here is a great video from Sergey (great hair) and some other Google peeps, explaining what Android is about.

Reps are finally going to learn how to sell?

Upstream To Launch Nationwide Digital Ad Sales Training Program
by Tameka Kee
Upstream Habitat will offer an "intense, end-to-end training solution for digital salespeople, whether they want to focus on creativity, targeting, strategy, or knowing how to deliver an audience." The company is pegging Upstream Habitat as an avenue for major media brands, digital agencies and independent publishers that want to ensure that their junior sales reps and seasoned vets are crafting the most effective ad buys and strategies.

Let's pray they learn something
Personally, I'm tired of sales reps. They don't understand the difference between a new platform and a new way to advertise. I don't care about new platforms, if it's an iteration of the 300 before it. And if you are a provider with an existing property and work out a new way to advertise that doesn't involve a banner - I wanna hear it!
There is a whole world of sales rep out there who are oblivious to the fact that they need to tailor their properties for individual brands. They don't understand that even if a property is "cool" it may not fit a brand's rationale.
I just hope Upstream takes that into consideration beyond reps merely meeting their sales budgets.

Iteration 1 of the new marketing cycle

I've been thinking about some stuff. As I tend to do. This is the first iteration of this theory. It will probably evolve. For now, draft 1:

Servicing consumers in today’s world

In the diagram there is our little person/consumer. He is into consumerism, he likes having things. He likes to buy products which allow his individual life to function. This is the product element of the cycle. An individual buys in to a product, and this is where actual money changes hands.
However, people today expect more from a product than simply the product they’ve bought into. They expect utility. This is that added service, engagement, interaction which does not depend on money changing hands. The most important part of the utility is that the consumer gets an added value and a benefit from this interaction, regardless of whether they’ve already bought into the product or they’re a prospective customer.
The important part of the Utility component from an Advertiser’s perspective is this now forms part of their ad budget. New media and new marketing means reaching out to consumers in ways that really do mean one-to-one and really create an impact on a person. Furthermore, the custodians of a product (the staff) should be able to interact with people who actually buy into that product.
Messages and messaging just don’t cut it anymore. Advertising is about creating experiences and increasing value in people's lives.

And I'm not talking airy fairy stuff. I don't buy that brand fluff. I'm talking actual user experiences where either a tangible or 'feel good' value is the takeaway from the experience.

So a product purchase may initiate utility usage and involvement. Or utility involvement may initiate purchase. Where that utility is placed in the world is extremely important. The real/virtual world combinations of media as drivers to or from each other ensure marketers reach eyeballs in the right places. And that's where those little arms in the cycle work. That's how you drive audience.

Driving audience, the next piece of the puzzle. That’s what we’re currently grappling with. Getting through the fragmentation and finding audience to impact usage and create sales.

BUT, If you want that part, you're going to have to pay me!

Study finds growing demand for product reviews

Adweek
A study by PowerReviews and E-Tail Group found consumers increasingly are consulting consumer-generated reviews of products before making online purchases. The study also reports that 82% of "social researchers" -- frequent online shoppers who habitually seek out customer reviews before making a purchase -- said they found reading reviews more helpful than talking to an in-store employees.

Snap out it!
Ok, this topic has been bashed to death.
Customer referral, conversation around a product, it's the new age. We live it. It's time to start utilising this and stop talking about it.

And another thing...why don't customers find in-store employees helpful? Well, from my experience they are the most disinterested bunch with no motivation, understanding or knowledge of the products that they are selling.
Sales staff seem to require a total overhaul to meet consumer need. Or another option could be to redefine of the term "Sales assistant" to "disinterested body employed to be in store" to reflect their actual status.

Tide awash with new innovations

Tide's 'Washday Miracle': Not Doing Laundry
Brand Uses Pop-Up Store, Web to Get Gen Y Swashing Not Washing
BATAVIA, Ohio (AdAge.com) -- Tide, the brand that brought America the "washday miracle," is experimenting with a new mission: marketing to the great unwashed masses at the country's biggest university.

Who doesn't love a crappy pun??
I kind of like what Tide has done here. They have reformatted their offering for a new audience and delivered it in a way that makes sense to this Gen Y audience.

It's a good case study and a good way to learn at how marketers are changing the way they speak to consumers.
I likey.

Don't fall under the social network spell

Some marketers opting for social nets instead of microsites
Mediaweek
Reflecting the growing popularity of social networking, especially among younger users, some marketers are launching pages on Facebook in lieu of creating dedicated campaign microsites. Sprite, for example, recently rolled out an animated character called Sprite Sips within Facebook's brand pages, where visitors can view videos and listen to music.

Time to use the holywater and the garlic
The spell of the social network gets greater.
A couple of things I'm finding:

• Social networks are great platforms for marketing an entertainment/content brand. Because, you get to sample the content there and then, so it works
• Applications and user groups tend to have a limited lifespan. Users add an application, they participate for a bit and then they discard. If you want to create an application, you need to keep it fresh
• Driving usage to these applications isn't easy. You need an in and that might be from the real world.
  

Apple's iPhone Lands in U.K., Germany

Will a More Sophisticated Wireless Audience Embrace It?
The iPhone launched in its first two foreign markets, the U.K. and Germany, on Nov. 9. Germany was the first to offer sale figures, with a statement from Deutsche Telecom's T-Mobile saying that more than 10,000 phones were sold the first day. But will Europeans, used to receiving free high-end phones on better networks, embrace the iPhone as their American counterparts did?

Blah blah blah
Apple in the US works well because the mobile phone system is so regimented, that another regimented system makes no real difference.
When we look at other countries' mobile capabilities, telcos are providing valuable, economical services to their customers. Apple coming in with such a restricted offering may not really affect any mobile users, except for those with a pre-existing affinity for the Apple brand.
Considering the realists out there, they are probably also awaiting the next iteration of a Nokia or an Ericsson, or some other fantastic mobile technology developer. They also know it will be better than the service they'll get from Apple/02/T-Mobile and probably cheaper.

OMG. Please. Get serious.

How the Ad World's Dealing With the Decline of the :30
Production Houses and Agencies Are Forced to Slash Costs and Find Unique Ways to Leverage Online Video
NEW YORK (AdAge.com) -- As marketers continue to embrace unmeasured media and funnel fewer dollars toward TV-production budgets, 2007 will go down as the year the 30-second spot's health took a noticeable downturn. Faced with ever-more-powerful procurement departments, clients clamoring for return on investment and a general consumer movement toward interactive ad environments, agencies can no longer cavalierly bill multimillion-dollar commercial extravaganzas to clients as in years' past.

Snap out of it. Get to reality. The 30 second spot has one foot in the grave
Marketers are sh*t-scared. There is no doubt about it.
Agencies are even more frightened of what's happening. Not to mention lost.
Agencies are scared because they're meant to know what to advise, what medium to use, and they don't. Agencies are so trapped in thinking how they thought, they haven't switched into the new ways of marketing. A square peg, round hole analogy.

In this article, all the agency peeps want to keep this concept of the 30 second alive in the volumes that 30 seconds are trending towards. Networks also have the monetary need to keep it alive. However, the 30 second is going to become a rare component of an ad campaign. I actually think that TV spots will become less frequent with higher premiums.
Look at where the consumer is going- they are shifting away from ads. Without the eyeballs, the ad is useless and ultimately, if an ad is that good, consumers seem to let the viral component into their lives. This is a good thing - ad spend becomes $0 and we focus more of our time on new things and get time away from the office perfecting our top spin.

Maurice don't have a conniption, you're right!

Publicis' Levy Blasts Facebook Deal, Warns Ad Dollars Don't Support Online Investments
by Joe Mandese
Calling Microsoft's $240 million investment in Facebook "insane," and asserting that that there is not enough advertising budgets to support the rapid expansion of online advertising services, Publicis Chairman-CEO Maurice Levy warned that the industry was approaching the kind of hyper inflated economics that led to the so-called dot-com crash in 2000-01. In an address at this weekend's Monaco Media Forum Levy cautioned that the rapid run-up in the valuation of ad-supported online services may turn out to be fool's gold.

Stay away from Facebook
The recent changes in Facebook have damaged my experience. I don't want to see these ads, I don't want to see what friends of friends are doing whom I don't even know.
I have 24 'people' in Facebook purgatory who I neither want to add nor reject. I don't really know them, or I don't want them knowing what I'm up to, OR they're just people who have phased out of my life and they have no need to re-enter. Staying in purgatory means they're stuck there and can't venture further than that point into my virtual life.

Facebook is about narrowing in. It's about focusing in on those you interact with and creating heightened, richer relationships. In a way Facebook was a sanctuary, with occasional annoyance (yes, Zombies, it's time you died) and Facebook showed the way of the future - to create wholly integrated experiences which add value.
Advertising doesn't need to be about 'advertising' as we know it. It can be about creating some vehicle, some offering, anything that isn't some banner ad and some 'voice' yelling at you to buy something.
Advertising today is about integrated experiences and interactions that add value (whether information, entertainment based etc) to somebody's life. So all the media providers out there, creating a platform which offers an integration/sponsorship of takeovers with banners, it won't work. These type of strategies don't speak to our new consumers and frankly, there isn't much point going there.

Verklin brings out the gloves.

An Agency to Manage an Enormous Number of Touch Points
Q&A: Aegis Media Americas CEO David Verklin
NEW YORK (AdAge.com) -- London-based Aegis Group has bought four marketing companies in the past three months, including Genesis Media, one of Canada's largest independent media agencies, and Implicom, a direct-marketing specialist in France. David Verklin, CEO, Aegis Media Americas, characterizes the company's purchases in recent years as emblematic of its vision for the marketing agency of tomorrow. Here, he talks with Advertising Age about strategy, integration and what Aegis might look like in 10 years.

Ok, whatever Verklin
We know where were going. I think his image of a consumer is a bit warped though. Dave may want to double check on that -a consumer doesn't know the difference between TV and online??? Seriously?
What I'd really like to know is what Carla Hendra has to say about this.
Better yet, bring out the gloves just like you did at MIXX earlier this year.
That's what the punters really want to see

The problems with the new facebook

Well, the cracks are starting to show. The "announcement" was made on the 6th, it's now the 9th. It didn't take too long.

Report: Facebook Ads Break NY Law
Well it turns out that Facebook breaks some privacy laws in New York. Awesome!
The New York Times' Saul Hansell pointed out that "The statute says that “any person whose name, portrait, picture, or voice is used within this state for advertising purposes or for the purposes of trade without the written consent first obtained” can sue for damages. Moreover, such a use is also a criminal misdemeanor."

But another storm in a tea cup. All facebook has to do is change some words in their online consent forms and they're all set.

Facebook users are potentially a bunch of losers!
Ha ha. Love this.
In another New York times article, Laura Holson alludes to that fine line between dorkdom and coolness whilst discussing the damage to trust that the new Facebook ad network will have.

If there is some loser on Facebook who has more friends then they can handle, let's say over 500, they are not offering a friendship of substance. I sincerely believe you cannot have 500 friends. 500 acquaintances maybe, but not friends.
Those with more friends actually lessen the value of these relationships. They aren't of quality, but that good old value of quantity.

And on the cool V dork debate- well it's similar to Gladwell's Tipping Point Connectors, Mavens and Salesmen. If you are a salesman, and respected as an 'expert' in a particular field by your friends, then your recommendations will have clout.
But if you are some dork, from beauty and the geek, recommending the latest beauty regimen, no one is going to be interested.

Hot stuff

Look at this hot stuff.
The kids could have a lot of fun with this one!
Link

Yahoo and Google go into battle

Yahoo! to use mobile as distribution platform
CNET/Reuters
Rather than try to create an operating system for mobile devices, Yahoo! is looking to provide content and Web services like maps, e-mail and search in partnership with handset makers and wireless carriers.

A battle of mights
This will prove interesting. No doubt.
Yahoo is making alliances with carriers, Google with technology.

A couple of points:
Since banners are background, we'll focus this debate on search-

• Who often always gets it right and subsequently wins? Google
• No matter what happens, if Google continues the way they are, they will always be at the forefront of search. Whether it be on mobile, net or TV internet a user who is a Google advocate will always subscribe to Google. So, I guess another Google win here.
• If wireless access continues to remain slow, most users will just use what they've got- ie stick with the default page for a Yahoo win.
  
• Yahoo has gone global with this which is interesting. They haven't even touched the US market. Probably because America is the only country that I know of, where carriers have such a hold on the market. In most other markets the consumer always wins (the way it should be in my opinion) and as most models have already trended towards this, I feel like the carrier leadership will at some point drop off and focus on technology. i.e Another Google win
  
• VoIP- if VoIP takes over traditional telecommunications and shatters the current telcom companies in operation, it will all be about technology and Yahoo will have lost out. So Google
  
• Phone carriers in the States continue to dominate. If they fix their strangle hold - Yahoo could win if users continue to stay on deck.
  

So we'll see how it pans out. Search is definitely a key platform within mobile. But, everything is iffy, we're still in transition phases. There is no doubt in my mind that within 3 years, a mobile phone will be a mobile computer with fully integrated internet.

Google brings search to the gas pump

New York Times
Starting in December, Google will provide its mapping service for motorists at 3,500 gas pumps across the U.S. The service initially will offer directions to local landmarks, hotels, restaurants and hospitals, but eventually the pumps may accommodate requests for specific addresses, according to pump manufacturer Gilbarco Veeder-Root.

Interesting strategy. I wonder if they can set up Google Map consoles at advertisers' offices so that they can help them find directions to their consumers?

Everyscape: Something hot for a cold afternoon

Everyscape
A new website that takes the Google Earth concept a step further, EveryScape is a virtual world that enables users to check out popular places, hotels, restaurants and shopping from a three-dimensional, first-person viewpoint.

I'm all tingly with excitement
That was fun! A great user experience.
It lets you experience locations. For example if I'm a tourist and I can't decide where to stay, I can get a better feeling for the locale, even the proximity of public transport, shops and restaurants.
I like this...there's room for us to grow here.

Marketers are beginning to catch on

It's Not About New Media, It's About New Marketing
A Brand Is No Longer 'Ownable'
NEW YORK (AdAge.com) -- To Nick Brien, worldwide CEO of Universal McCann, the notion of new media is almost irrelevant. "When clients say, 'Talk to me about new media,' I say, 'No I am not going to talk to you about new media, I am going to talk to you about new marketing,'" he said.

I dance to the beat of this drum
This is something I've been saying for a while. Ad budgets need to dedicate funds beyond traditional ad buys. Consumers are willing to be engaged and wooed by brands, if and only if the brand offers some value in return for the consumer's time. We're noticing consumers actually embrace the attention.
If we use our funds to specifically target audiences, with minimal wastage, we can then focus efforts on allowing our campaigns to activate in the real world. In turn, causing more WOM and shake up in the virtual.
Begin to realise that real and virtual worlds need to interact together to ensure campaign success.

Tivo goes to the next level

Who's skipping ads?
TiVo is amping up its research business with an offering dubbed PowerWatch, which uses information on 20,000 participating TiVo-equipped homes to provide a detailed demographic picture of DVR users, including the characteristics of the ad-skipping viewer.

Richer data...richer cake?
Yummy!
One can never have enough data, especially if it offers insight into a nice affluent segment.
However, considering the data subscriptions we currently own, selecting "do you use and own a DVR" as a filter, we'll pretty much establish the Tivo data as redundant...

Facebook, Facebook, Facebook

Facebook Opens the Doors and Media Flocks In
CBS, CondeNet, NYT Rush to Set Up Pages
NEW YORK (AdAge.com) -- Facebook users love to "poke" friends they have linked to on the site, an electronic way to tap a pal on the shoulder, even if they are miles away in a classroom or office. Now aficionados of the popular social-networking site will have just as much opportunity to do the same to advertisers and media outlets who want to vie for their attention and disposable income.

Will we ever stop talking about Facebook??
I got an email from CondeNet announcing their partnerships with Facebook. They're happy little vegemites on that one.
CBS seems happy too. So does the NYT.
BUT- a caveat- these brands offer content. Whether information based or on an entertainment level.
These categories tend to exist very well in this space, entertainment even more so.

We have to think carefully about whether our consumers, the people who interact with our product, really want to acknowledge their brand advocacy amongst a social network.
Some elements fit, some don't. Just don't get involved because all the other kids in the neighbourhood are.

There is also a New York Times article here

Ad exchanges and the web giants

Oversight A Must For Continued Growth Of Ad Exchanges
by Tameka Kee
Earlier this year, Web giants like Microsoft, Yahoo and Google took part in an online feeding frenzy, gobbling up independent ad exchanges. As it turns out, concerns about marketplace competition, transparency and regulation were valid. "The three largest exchanges are now owned by the three largest sellers of online media," noted one ad:tech attendee. "Should there be some kind of auditing or regulation?"

Problems with your ad tracking???
Those shifty web giants*!
At least the IAB is getting on board to ensure results will be properly tracked without the worry of fudged results.
What perplexes me further is the mention of Imran Khan. He is cricket player turned politician! I don't recall any online analyst career.

*by 'web giant' I imply bastards

Doritos didn't pay a cent to be Colbert's election sponsor!

Doritos "chips in" to Colbert campaign
The Hollywood Reporter
Comic Stephen Colbert's mock effort to get on the presidential ballot in South Carolina may have done more to bolster Doritos than democracy. The host of "The Colbert Report" was filmed munching on Doritos and mentioned the brand on his show while discussing his campaign. The brand integration, arranged by media shop OMD, was unusual because the PepsiCo-owned Doritos brand was prohibited under election law from paying for the placements, according to this article.

Oh Colbert...you so funny!
So even though illegal for an advertiser to sponsor a presidential candidate, Doritos paid something, for sure. They just found some fantastic legal loophole.
Great integration.

And now, how does this tie in to the digital/interactive space- if you just watched the video embedded here, you're contributing.
Channels are merging, they're no longer confined to their traditional boundaries. Mobile is also part of this new equation. Think how to blend the potential of the 3 screens into your next campaign.
This is the wonder of the inter-web.

Apparently internet users watch tv

by Erik Sass
People who use the Internet are increasingly layering their online time with other kinds of media consumption, according to an online survey of 2,700 Web users ages 18 and up conducted by Burst Media in October.
Study

Who would have thunk it?
Now that the facebook announcement is over, we can all step back into reality. I've learned my lesson re Hype. I'm never falling for that AGAIN.

So internet users watch TV? Is there anyone out there, besides the Amish and Ultra Orthodox Jews that don't watch TV?
Anyone...?
Anyone...?
...Bueller?

They do make an important point, that users are fragmenting their media consumption. I've come to the conclusion that any person participating in this new media fragmented culture has some form of ADHD. Getting restless for 2 seconds when a page is loading? You know what I'm talking about. We should all be on mild form of Ritalin. Maybe that's what they put in the milk?

The observation from this is that people aren't paying too much attention to ads. It's background noise. That's why we need to create advertising that isn't advertising as we once knew it. The advertising needs to be interactive, beneficial and nothing like a hard sell.

Commentary: The ad pool could be drying up

The Guardian (London)
It appears that readers are unwilling to pay for even premium online content, writes media blogger and journalism professor Jeff Jarvis, and he argues that it won't be long before advertisers follow suit, forging direct relationships with consumers rather than rely on ad-supported media.

Some good points
Jeff Jarvis makes some good points. Ad spend is most probably going to go into decline. That's because advertising these days, has transformed into managing the services you give new and existing customers. Banner ads are the support message. Most of the focus these days should be developing programs that (potential/existing) customers can get value from.

Honey from the honeyshed

Droga Seeks to Give King Content a Throne With Honeyshed Launch
Wondering what the heck Honeyshed is? Creativity's Teressa Iezzi has the rundown on David Droga's online branded-content portal.

Droga makes some moves
Droga has a good idea. I like this.
No beating around the bush. It's just a shopping channel. Hopefully a less annoying one.

Facebook announcement

YAWN...................

Update 7th Nov: Nothing too exciting: SMH

Web 2.0 needs users to be successful

With So Many Start-Ups, Only You Can Save Web 2.0
Just as Social Security won't allow every baby born this year to retire in 2072, the harsh reality is that there will not be enough ad dollars to go around, writes Steve Rubel.

Don't forget: Web 2.0 is in test phase
This article is good. It makes you realise just how vast the internet is. Some sites get 10 hits, some get 25 million. All of them seek monetisation through advertising as the seed to make money.
It's time these people woke up.

Advertising i-s-n-t working like it used to. We have to be more creative, more solid and more real with what we do.
We really have to understand the market. And that doesn't mean in the online space, it means in their real world interactions as well.

If you want to audit your current campaigns, or even think about how to do something better, come ask me. I don't bite (well I do, but it depends on my mood)

The Google phoneapp is nothing too exciting...yet

Google Unveils 'gPhone' (aka Android)
Does Google's big phone announcement yesterday equal a non-event or a potential mobile revolution?

Again, more of the same
So why am I blogging it? Because one day it will be important and you should be aware of the hype just in case someone who is somewhat important, asks!

Are your Sales Reps more a hindrance than a help?

I've seen a lot of sales reps. Some are better looking than others, some give better gifts than others, which does help the process.

But, I do love dance we dance: Reps want to schmooze you in return for your $.
However, it doesn't really help when all they tell you is how cool they are and where they're taking you for lunch, instead of giving you a media offering you can actually buy into.

I have had instances where reps have said the following:

"I know your client does online marketing"
Good one, guy! I work in an online agency

"Who is your client again??"
Are you kidding me?? You have come to a meeting and you don't know who my client is??
I can tell you've prepared for this meeting and you're going to have some great ideas for me...

"X may be a fit for you client, sign here!"
Why? What? Why is it a fit? How will it help me? How do you reach that conclusion?

"You can buy banner ads"
Thanks bucko. I can always buy a banner ad. I'm meeting you because I want to know if we can further the relationship and create deeper engagement and interaction for the user. I want to actually offer my target consumer some value beyond a banner ad.

So, the time has come and I have put my foot down.
No more meetings with Sales Reps who cannot step up to the plate.
No more meetings with Sales Reps who have not done their research on my client.
No more meetings with Sales Reps who cannot back up their ideas with data and support information.

Sales reps are getting slack. They just want your dollars on their medium. They forget the playing field has changed and things aren't as simple as they once were.
Yes we need banner ads to support any ad program we do, but the publishers/providers need to think about how their product can benefit ours further than before.

Let your reps know this (maybe not in such sarcastic language) and hopefully we'll be able to work better together in the future.

Or is Facebook gonna do this??

Project Beacon or Pandemic?

Who wants to place some bets?
This is getting a little too ridiculous. I think I've even been swept up in the hype.
Some of the theories that have people have come up with have actually been pretty good ideas. Facebook and everyone else should do them all. It can't hurt.
But let's wait and see what the Facebook says before we get out our Excel and put a media plan together.

Verizon cozies up to Google

Verizon: If This Is Anything Like the IPhone, We Want In
Wireless Giant Puts Aside Feud With Google for a Chance to Use Its Mobile Operating System
NEW YORK (AdAge.com) -- Shifting business models make for strange bedfellows -- and nowhere is that so clear as Google's potential linkup with Verizon, which is said to be negotiating with the search giant to carry phones equipped with Google's mobile operating system.

When will the mobile carriers learn??
Mobile carriers are stuck in the past. They think their stranglehold on the market is infallible. Our world is changing at an incredible pace. Just think 10 years ago, there was no Google.
New technologies being developed, are not far away. The onset of VoIP, faster internet speeds and the ability to bypass the traditional means of telecommunication are on the horizon.

Phone companies are on the precipice of where record companies were. They can change with the consumer and be a more customer friendly service and product. Or, they can fall behind and begin to go into decline.
As soon as one company enters the market and shakes it up, it's all over!

The facebook hoopla is about shopping?

Facebook to Add Shopping Service to Its Menu
A shopping program is part of larger strategy that will be unveiled to marketers this week:
NEW YORK (AdAge.com) -- Lots of people find the next books they plan to read by browsing the New York Times or Amazon best-seller lists. Others count on referrals from friends and colleagues. But what if you could eye a hot title as it began to climb the best-seller list within your Facebook network?

All the fuss is about this...?
I saw the little invite. It's a swanky piece of plastic. But now that the cat's out of the bag, this is all you really need to know.

There is no denying that Facebook has a massive hold on a desirable target in the market. The way the application is designed, it's so easy to seed information from a few core influencers and reach the masses.

But the question still remains on how to integrate brands effectively without being blatant?

Move over Hulu, the Google Phone hits the press

It's D-Day For Google's GPhone
by Laurie Petersen
In the wake of mounting pre-launch news coverage, Google is expected to go public with its Google Phone plans this morning.
NY Times article

We still have to wait 8 months!
Hype, pure hype.
There is still so long to go on this.
Now marketers are going to get into a flurry "what are we going to do on the Google phone" and we don't even understand how it will affect anyone. Nor do we know how it will actually work, the cost price or whether it's actually worth it (well not now, but it will be).
Companies just do this to make agency life hell!

In the meantime, Yahoo has some deal with Rogers in Canada. Who knew?

A good critical mass figure

Comstock: We're Experiencing Media Golden Age
Beth Comstock, president of NBC Universal Integrated Media, said this a "golden age" of media. "It's a great thing to be a content company in the digital age," she said. "Content is always going to win."

Mass me, mass you
Comstock mentions some interesting ideas. One of them being media technologies can be considered mainstream once 40% of houses adopt them.
That's great.
But you should really be active before you hit that mass. Trialling how audiences interact with these new technologies is really important. And you don't want to screw up your advertising tactic when most of the population is on board!

Are banners a waste of $$$$?

Targeting amps up clickthrough rates
BusinessWeek
Facebook's likely move to an ad-targeting system based on its users' demographic profiles reflects in part the waning appeal of untargeted banner ads, according to this article. "Targeting will come in to rescue all forms of digital advertising," said Kevin Lee, co-founder of Didit.

I'm not one to disagree...
I don't think banners are the most effective form of online advertising. A wastage rate for a static ad of 99% and above is ludicrous.

We could compare banner ads to TV broadcast. You just flood the market with your ad, because if they're there, the chance is they will see it. However the key difference remains that TV is a passive medium, not to mention your content stops whilst the ad runs.

Online is interactive. There is content all over the page as well as ads. Banner blindness is a common phenomena. If you don't like a takeover, you simply close it, just as you would change a channel if you didn't like an ad.
It isn't a tangible thing. You click away from a dynamic ad unit and it's gone. Even with a magazine you can come back to it and see an ad you've previously seen.

Online is hard and I don't think it has yet found the right way to monetise advertising. Engagement and interactive are definitely key and that's why we are seeing rich banner ads have higher engagement rates.

It still isn't enough. I think there are much better ways to integrate advertising online. And the way forward appears to be through functionality and utility.

Facebook/Google battle gets hotter

MySpace Joins Google's OpenSocial
by Gavin O'Malley
Eager to challenge Facebook's rising star, MySpace has joined the Google-led initiative to court Web developers with an open system for creating social networking applications.

Brace yourselves...you'll be hearing about this for the next month
There are lots of articles doing the rounds that all the social networks (bar Facebook) are getting in line with Google's open platform.
We know open works. So as long as this development is truly open, it will be successful.
It just seems that Google is doing mySpace and the other social networks a favour. Not the other way round...

Watch out Facebook. Google is on your tail...

Google alliance to roll out OpenSocial system
The New York Times
Google, in collaboration with Salesforce.com, Oracle and other firms, will introduce an open system that enables Web programmers to create and embed applications in multiple social networks without the need to customize the codes. The OpenSocial system is intended to compete with Facebook, which recently invited developers to create applications to run on the Facebook site.

Who wins...the consumer!
Awesome.
When are we going to get a TV show that talks of the riveting back stabbing, oneupmanship, jumping ship sagas, trials and tribulations of the online media platforms??

I don't really care about this stuff. It just means a better outcome for the consumer and that's what matters.
In the end, if your target is on Orkut, you'll buy there. If there on Facebook too, you'll go there.

Opting out of tracking?

AOL to allow users to opt out of tracking
The New York Times
AOL is set to announce plans to create a user-privacy database similar to the FTC's "do-not-call" list that protects people from unwanted telemarketing solicitations. Users would be able to decline to receive advertising that's based on their demographic and behavioral information. The move comes in advance of a two-day FTC forum dealing with online privacy that kicks off tomorrow.

Bad move or not?
This is tricky. Phone calls actually invade your life. A banner ad is just a peripheral on a screen.
I think 3 types of users will arise:

1. Most users won't even know they can opt out and behavioural targeting will remain
2. The smart users who are aware will realise that it will actually serve them better. If they opt out, the ads will still be there and more annoyingly because they won't speak to them specifically. If they keep the opt in option, users will see more value in receiving tailored messaging.
3. There will be the typical bunch of crazy users who opt out. These are the 5 people who complain about a visual of some upper thigh in a G rated timeslot. These people have nothing better to do with their spare time

AOL is making an interesting move. They are following the surge of "openness" recently shared through the Facebook scenario. By Facebook becoming an open/free platform to users, we saw a positive response and surge towards the medium. It is a platform for the people by the people. And it works.
Who else is doing it...Google, Apple... these guys are big players.
AOL is really opening up to their consumer. The gesture implies that they care about their user. They don't want to rub them the wrong way and want to give their base an option. Consumers respond more warmly to this approach.
That's why I think, in the end, most of the AOL user base will continue to opt in to tracking.

A MUST READ ARTICLE

It's Not the Media That Matter, but the Modes
Tune In: Understand the Mind-Sets That Drive Consumer Behavior
We've all read stories heralding the death of advertising as we know it. But have consumers really abandoned advertising? The answer, it seems, rests on the shoulders of the people who buy our brands and recommend them to others -- not with advertisers, marketers or consultants
AdAge

Seriously- read this article
Rick Milenthal has got it going on!
Consumer research has always been a bit warped. Asking a question to a consumer in a focus group and then going to their home- they do say and do different things.
People are often speaking of their aspirations. It's a psychological, motivational need that all people subscribe to. If someone asks me what I do at night, I'll say I'm really social and active. I'm actually not a slob who sits on a couch watching reruns of ANTM...

The point is, is people are watching TV, utlising media where they do take note of advertising. We in the industry are the ones with the ability and know how to create advertising of some use, rather than it be some annoying background noise (like those bloody Wendy's ads).

Different sources are breaking down this new behaviour in different ways. Take it all in and apply your own model to your specific target. After all we live in an age of "diff'rent strokes for diff'rent folks".

Traditional aint dead yet

VSS: Don't Count Out Old Media Yet In Digital Future
by Gavin O'Malley
Don't count out media's old guard in the battle for the new media landscape, said John Suhler, founding general partner and president of private equity firm Veronis Suhler Stevenson.

This is true...
For a while yet in any case. At least until the generations who have grown up on TV/radio/print go into a phase out. And I can't imagine any sort of household existing without some format of TV, regardless of what screen it comes through.

No matter what happens, mass broadcast advertising will continue to exist. The networks will integrate brand content, but they still expect some form of buy in which is how they make their money- through the 30 second spot.
Not to mention that advertisers need some sort of reach building messaging. How will they be doing that in the future? TV is still a mass reaching medium.
Time shifting, DVRs, downloads....it's here to stay!

Exploiting kids for new platforms

MTVU Taps College Kids in Search of Next Mark Zuckerberg
The cable net and Cisco dangled $100,000 in front of young developers with a good idea. Here's who they found.

Clever in theory
Nice MTV. Nice.

The reason kids are developing this stuff is because they get it. They get how new marketing works. But they get it in a vacuum.

They don't see growth, they don't see traction. They don't see drivers.

I'd see what happens before I award someone $100K

Privacy and the consumer

While privacy advocates agitate for strong FTC rules to safeguard consumer information online, online privacy has yet to become a hot-button issue among Web users, according to experts cited in this article.
Advertising Age

No biggie
Some initial comments:

• Advertisers can't see a user's profile.
• A user needs to give away some information in order to opt in to the platform.
• You can't compare using a book to the internet. They're different. Please. Comparing apples with oranges isn't exactly valid.

Ultimately, a consumer knows what they're getting into. If an ad can be tailored to their needs in a more efficient manner, based on a couple of tracks, I don't think it's a big deal.

Of course some people will cry, but we're living in an age where consumers know if they want something for free, they will have to give something back in return.

False and Misleading Data Devalues Facebook

Facebook's Map Might Lead Advertisers Astray
Ad Age
Facebook's user info may not be kosher for advertisers. For one thing, you can't always trust online users--especially young online users--to provide accurate information. There is an awful lot of role-playing on the Web, but to a larger extent, social network users like to fib. A Pew study says that 56% of teens post false items on their social networking profiles. That, by the way, includes MySpace founder Tom Anderson, who's been lying about his age to his hundred million-plus friends since day one. Anderson's profile says he's 32, but reports claim he's pushing 40. That puts him in another demo, altogether.

Mmm and this is a surprise?
Users have been misusing their profiles since the beginnings of a user profile.
You say what you aspire to, not what you actually are. This is why it's coined a virtual world.

Google to shake up cell-phone industry

Can a Google Phone Connect With Carriers?
Google is expected to introduce in the coming weeks new applications that would enable cell-phone manufacturers to bring Google-powered units to market by mid 2008, according to this article. The search giant is aiming to lessen the control of wireless carriers over what programs can be accessed on mobile devices.
The Wall Street Journal

OMG- Yes PLEASE!
America's mobile offering is bad. Real bad. The consumer is considered last in the equation. The bottom line, is of course, first.
I've worked with Telcos. I know they really do only care about the bottom line. I've heard them say it. But they know, they're going to make money regardless. So moving forward, telcos need to keep their customers happy and give them what they want, otherwise they will simply leave to another carrier.
A termination fee is a hassle, but it's better than staying where you aren't getting what you pay for.

In the US market, the telcos have a stranglehold on the market. I keep waiting for a shakeup like this. It will work too. I've seen it happen. The consumer voice works. And the Google move is the first step to the change.

And further down the track - VoIP. The telcos should be very careful with what they are doing and where they are headed. Once VoIP hits the people with a solid platform, telcos are going to be scrabbling for pieces of the pie as other platforms go into decline.
They're all in development, but at present, value for money isn't worth it. And once the new companies arise, the archaic telco models probably won't fit.

TV ad targeting on the horizon

Targeted television ads three years away
Financial times

As the heading of the article suggests...
This is good.
Prediction: less TV ads and at a premium.

If it works properly, there will be less wastage...
Although it doesn't mean that consumers will be receptive to the ads. The buy is still determined by the client and the planner.
Our data will be richer, but will the impact still be the same?

We are in a marketing revolution

Millard Predicts Digital Revolution
by Erik Sass
Revolution is in the air. And Wenda Harris Millard, president of Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia, sees huge changes coming in the digital space. To survive, magazine companies must adjust to changing dynamics

I like Wenda Harris Millard
This lady is on my wavelength.
And I quote "The media world has changed more in the last five years, in the head end, than it has in the previous 50, and it will change that much again in the next five years."
That's right kids, marketing as we knew it, is Finished. Finito. Fini.

And if we continue to think the way we have, we will also be finished.
That means don't think about "what's new? I need my client to be in the space that has hype", more about "how can my client facilitate their users". That is what the new marketing age is about.

And hype...I'm sick of hype. It is advertising's case of peer pressure. Facebook, Hulu...they're around and they're new, but if we don't know how the consumer responds and how to leverage/integrate effectively, there isn't much point being there. And by integrate, I don't mean no banner ad.

Focus on your client, their target and their objectives. If you start from there you'll see better results, I personally guarantee it.

Hulu foreva?

Forrester: Hulu should please advertisers, viewers
by Gavin O'Malley
Under the tightest controls, Hulu.com emerged from the lab on Monday to generally favorable reviews--or review, given that its creators had only briefed one analyst. Forrester analyst James McQuivey was impressed with both the design features and business strategy behind the joint venture between NBC Universal and News Corp., noting that it has found "the best way to please advertisers is to maximize viewing of content."

Today is going to be a busy day for the Digestif...
Today is a good day, there is a lot going on. I like today.

Hulu is definitely making waves. Media waves are one thing, performance is another. We're still a long way off from seeing any result. So don't be too hasty.
Although...I think Hulu will be successful with a certain type of audience.

The Reasoning - the consumer space is so fragmented that users will go where, they as an individual, get the most value. I think the TV audience drop, niche blogs, niche anything are coming into their own and are a sign of things to come. Audience bases will get smaller. A few hundred thousand as a base will eventually be considered a healthy number.

They're my thoughts. Anyone out there got anything? Come on, give me some love!

Google tries something else

Google loses Facebook but tries something else
Google may have lost out on a piece of Facebook, but the Web giant is now responding by moving headlong into the territory of Facebook and MySpace. Google plans to incorporate social media features into all of its applications, using them as the glue that sticks each application together. The initiative goes by the name "Maka-Maka" and borrows heavily from Facebook.

"Maka-Maka" has much more to it, of course. Google ultimately aims to "out open" Facebook's platform by letting programmers have access to Google's social graph--which includes data from Orkut, Gmail and Google Talk-to create programs that operate with any or all Google apps and services. The "Maka-Maka" initiative will be unveiled in stages; the first is slated for around Nov. 5

Hmmm....
Google, you're sneaky. AND you always come out with good stuff and shake things up. I don't know what to make of this.
A major issue I'm already seeing, is that most users never made profiles with a network - eg I have a flickr which is now owned by Yahoo and a blog with blogspot, now owned by google, email on hotmail (for trash and owned by msn) and email with gmail (for other stuff).
So something like netvibes is handy, because no matter what I use, I can make a central port, with no restrictions and all my daily site visits are centralised. Buzz word people like to call it hyper-aggregating.

Now I'm even more perplexed because Google has iGoogle!
I guess we'll just have to wait and see how good it is, or if it's even good at all...

The changing face of music

If it's retail, is it still Rock? NY Times
From forging CD distribution deals with Starbucks to licensing songs for commercials and partnering with video game producers, declining record sales have forced artists to find different ways of promoting their music. "The barriers are changing and we as artists are making less and less money, and we have to get creative," said former Guns N' Roses bassist Duff McKagan, whose current band, Velvet Revolver, has licensed its music for use in a Victoria's Secret ad, among other ventures

I've worked on a music client. It's hard. The game has totally changed.
Music is still as hot a commodity as it's always been. The advent of new technologies has just made it easier to get product to the consumer. Commentators have been, well, commentating, for ages that record companies and artists need to change the model and the revenue system.
I think the best model to apply to this is the whole music like water theory put together by 2 guys, Dave Kusek and Gerd Leonard in a book entitled The Future of Music. If you haven't read it yet, do.
Even if you aren't in the music biz it gives great insight in to changing digital IP for the future and how to get revenue out of a credible digital product.

Finally some real statistics on WOM

AdAge
More than 60% of consumers now look for user-generated product reviews online, according to a new survey by Deloitte Consulting. The poll also found a third of respondents were motivated by recent product recalls to pay greater attention to descriptions and warnings on packaging and 18% were motivated for the same reason to seek out information online.

Digestif reveals some truth to the matter
I just asked a rep about this today. I'm continually seeing stats which say 98% of users find user reviews and WOM helpful in their purchases. This is great, but it really only tells me what I already know. I missing the initial step of the break down of the total population looking for online reviews.
So thank you Deloitte. I can tick that off my list.

I also want to participate in the Hulu debate

New York Times
NBC and Fox hope the commencement today of beta testing of their jointly owned Web video venture, Hulu.com, will silence critics who have questioned the ability of big media to launch a rival to YouTube and other video channels. The New York Times

Digestif swig
Looks pundits (a, b, c or d), I'm not a member of the blog club, or the blog honour roll, if you will and I'm not placing my money anywhere.
I applaud NBC for taking a stab at entering the new media market place. Good on them for trying.
The model may work, it might not, but at least ALL OF US will learn something from the experience.
You may not think it's an educated platform, but stranger things have happened and who knows, it just might work...

Ooh, ooh, ooh...the mobile medium is getting good viewership

eMarketer

Eight million US mobile users watched video on their handsets in August 2007, according to M:Metrics. Despite mobile video sharing and growth, the foundation for ads is still under construction.

Digestif
Well- the stats are sweet. We're starting to see serious growth. %s are pretty crap, but at least volumes look good.
Mobile will definitely be a useful medium. Once we have a grasp of where the masses are headed (it's still early days), we will be able to harness the capabilities of the medium.
A cautionary note: I don't think it will be through banner ads!

Facebook fans take things to a new dimension

Some good insights into how the 'kids' are using facebook, in a familiar song format.

MySpace users: 3 hrs and 13 mins (per month) V Facebook users: 3 hrs 33mins per month

Is MySpace Running Out of Time to Deliver?
Business Week
Facebook may be ubiquitous, but rival MySpace is still three to four times the size of Mark Zuckerberg's white-hot social network. It's also older, too, which means the pressure on parent News Corp. to turn the 100 million member-plus social network into a money-making machine is building. Analysts and investors are waiting.

However, any day now, MySpace parent Fox Interactive Media is set to unveil a new targeting advertising system that takes advantage of its users' demonstrated behaviors, likes and dislikes. Whether this helps display ads become more effective is an open question. Not everyone is convinced.

The Digestif reflects
All this social network stuff is getting on my nerves.
It's hoopla, it's rubbish, it's a storm in a teacup.
Bottom line is- different users use different sites for a reason....they're different types of users.
Some of your target will fit the mySpace profile, others the facebook and others still the Bebo or Pownce profile.
It's up to marketers and planners to discern which is the most appropriate.
A 70million user base and a 42million strong user base are both equally impressive (granted there may be overlap). But, if you disregard the data, the facts and the real numbers in relation to a campaign then they don't mean nothing!

Does Apple exploit their young advocates?

Amateur ad gets big league attention

A new spot for the Apple iPod Touch, set to air on Sunday, is the brainchild of 18-year-old student Nick Haley. His short YouTube video featuring the product set to the music of Brazilian band CSS attracted the attention of Apple's agency, TBWA/Chiat/Day, which produced a professional, high-definition version of Haley's spot.
The New York Times

The Digestif applauds

I like these kinds of happy endings.

Who wins??

• Apple- get a cool ad for cheap
• CSS - great band. Get a nice cheque I presume
• TBWA - they still get to charge the client and make $$. But are they shooting themselves in the foot?
• Nick Haley? - well he gets his 15 seconds, but I have a feeling he isn't getting all he deserves. Think how much it costs to make a 30 second through an agency. Think how much Nick probably spent. I'm guessing one is about 90% bigger than the other.
  

How to work a social net-work which works

People register in droves at the office
by Gavin O'Malley
It looks like NBC managed to make a good thing better when it attached a stylized social network to its popular series "The Office."

Digestif likes 'to take the edge off' after a hard day at the office
This works because NBC has taken a product and reworked it for the current consumer need.

Consumers have changed and they no longer want to just watch a TV show, or just use your service. They want to interact and get more value out.

The Office has the advantage of being a great offering. There is so much NBC can work off in order to create a functional utility in which users get value. Furthermore, it's a natural fit because the Office has seen the opportunities available to them and allowed their consumers to tap into the benefits associated with the program.

This can be done for every brand, every product and every service. It doesn't have to be a social network and it doesn't have to be forced. If you can't see the fit and you want help with something, send me a line...

Microsoft wins over Google in the Facebook deal

by Gavin O'Malley
Microsoft will invest $240 million for a 1.6% stake in Facebook (valued at $15B)--a deal that values the hot social network at a staggering $15 billion. Beating out Google on Wednesday, Microsoft also won exclusive global rights to sell third-party banner ads on Facebook.

Digestif NEEDS a drink
Oh my. Well it's no longer speculation. $15B. A big number.

As I said in my previous post, lets see how it pans out before we start asking for ticker tape parades.

When is the facebook battle going to end?

Google, Microsoft Fight For Facebook Stake
New York Post
A major investment in the social network Facebook will be announced in the next day or two, the only question is who the lucky winner will be: Microsoft or Google. The Post expects the search king to walk away with the lucrative stake, worth between 5% and 10% of the social network.

The stakes for a seat on the Facebook board are high. The social network has a massive and growing loyal audience, with huge ad potential. Next week, Facebeook is expected to unveil a new behavioral advertising program, possibly in conjunction with the investment. If Google outbids Microsoft, you can expect Microsoft's ad serving deal with Facebook to dissolve soon thereafter, most likely replaced with Google Search and some iteration of AdSense.

Of course the biggest winner in all this is Facebook; investors value the company at close to $15 billion, which means that Google and Microsoft are looking at an astronomical $1.5 billion for a 10% stake or $750 million for a 5% stake -- incredible money for a company set to pull in just $150 million this year.

Everyone just stop and have a reality check

Has anyone seen any good campaigns on facebook yet??
By good I mean successful with proven results?
I certainly haven't.

Although, I've seen one, but it was more a personal challenge, rather than a paid for ad.

Facebook is a great medium and a platform with lots of stickiness. BUT, it's still so new. No one has worked out how to use it properly.
If you can't advertise on it effectively then what is the point?

If Google and Microsoft have ulterior motives for wanting Facebook then good luck to them. Let's see what they can do.

Yahoo wants to do what?

Yang pledges new openness for Yahoo!
Yahoo! is aiming to separate itself from rivals Google and Microsoft by becoming an "open" platform that helps users solve problems on its own channels or links them to other Web sites, according to CEO Jerry Yang. "Openness is upon us," Yang said Tuesday, at a conference in Half Moon Bay, Calif. "There is an opportunity for Yahoo! as a huge publisher to play the open game and do that as a strategy."
The Hollywood Reporter/Reuters

Digestif: I've drunk it all in and I'm still sober...

I read the little blurb, I read the article. I'm confused. The 2 don't match up.

"Openness"? What does that actually mean. Not much in this case. I feel Yahoo is just saying words to give a sense that they're doing something different.
Their behavioural stuff is great. I love that, but this openness palaver? I don't really get what they're saying.

I mean, don't all these apparent 'open' platforms exist already?
I think they call it web 2.0?

I just don't get gaming

Center for Media research: Advergaming

DFC Intelligence estimates that:

• Over 40% of households have a video game console system
• Over 120 million people play video or computer games in the U.S.
• Personal Computer Gamers are expected to reach 80 million in 2007 and up to 99 million in 2012
• Console/Online gamers is expected to reach 6.9 million in 2007 and up to 18.5 million by 2012
  

A simple 'wtf' will do here

Where do people find the time???
How do they multi task everything?? Gaming is so involving, when you play something you are totally absorbed into the medium.
And I'm still totally baffled as to why women 30-54, or whatever they are, are the biggest growing segment in the gamer profile?

Gaming is surging. It is m-a-s-s-i-f.

If your targets are into it, and by the numbers, they probably are, you should start thinking about how you can get gaming on your media plan.

The key word here is involvement. Finding ways of properly integrating into gaming platforms rather than being display ads or pre rolls, are definitely the way to go. This will ensure proper integration and 100% involvement and attention from the consumer.

Words of warning- don't go for tenuous links or stretch the idea too thin. Wait for something that fits and go with that. In the mean time, let's get some developers on the phone and see what we can carve out.

Virtual worlds not going down, but up?

While Second Life gets a lot of media attention, virtual worlds like IAC/InterActive-owned Zwinktopia and Ganz USA's Webkinz are attracting more users. Marketers are increasingly looking to establish footholds on these and other Web-based virtual worlds.

The Wall Street Journal

Digestif 's 2 cents

Well. I knew Webkinz was big. But these other things don't make too much sense. Just think about your user for a second (disregarding the kids using Webkinz):

• Your audience needs a lot of spare time
• They have to consistently be excited and able to interact with the elements of the virtual world
• They need to maintain a continual presence.
• They need to care about their virtual persona in order to maintain a connection with the virtual world
  

What kind of user are you after? If your product fits, great. And unless you have some real world/virtual world element like WebKinz, I wouldn't recommend using this vehicle.

Proud of my friends at Spiralfrog

SPIRALFROG, INC., The free ad-supported Web-based music experience, announced a licensing agreement with Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, to make Sony's collection available on the SpiralFrog Web site.

Link

Digestif ecstatic.

Having previously worked with a record label as a client, I know how hard it is to get these guys to crossover to the new playing field. They won't relinquish their power on something which they refuse to see is falling apart.
Excuse the upcoming analogy, but the game has changed and it won't take long before the labels either step up to the plate and really take some offensive action. Or, they simply fade out of the game, using the same strategy and tactics which everyone knows and quite frankly, it's boring and doesn't work.
The key is meeting consumer need. Need in terms of how habits change, what consumers now believe to be advertising and how you will make them feel valued to be a part of your brand. That's where you will find the most success.

Good one Spiralfrog. Good one!

Social networking phase out by 2012??

"The social-networking category will continue its rapid growth through 2009, but could level off by 2012, according to a new report by U.K.-based Datamonitor."

Link

Digestif swig
I don't know about this.
From reading the article, I think, maybe the new generations will find something else. But then again the email giants just keep attaining new members. New users just sign up to what is.
However social networks could go the other way. The new generation of users will just sign up to Facebook because it is what it is. It's the general hub and you go elsewhere for your niche user-ship.

I think it's hot air, not smoke. Nothing to worry about yet.

The end of free speech blogging as we know it

"Ricardo Franco Levi, Prodi’s right hand man , undersecretary to the President of the Council, has written the text to put a stopper in the mouth of the Internet. The draft law was approved by the Council of Ministers on 12 October. No Minister dissociated themselves from it. On gagging information, very quietly, these are all in agreement.

The Levi-Prodi law lays out that anyone with a blog or a website has to register it with the ROC, a register of the Communications Authority, produce certificates, pay a tax, even if they provide information without any intention to make money."

Beppe Grillo's blog

Digestif in shock
What?
Are they serious?
If this actually happens, which I doubt (I envision some form of community uproar), there would be a snowballing of this type of irrational behaviour.
Blogging actually changed the scape of media, by allowing the average Joe their own soap box. News services have become more accountable, companies became more transparent and fact checking even more important.

Why are people so afraid of progress? Actually, why are governments, large corporations and those in control afraid of anyone else having a turn at the reigns?

Nice and good and friendly

Can e-mail borrow social networking's mojo?

E-mail is the most-used Web application, but it may seem a little old-school to the generation that is coming of age using social networks like Facebook and MySpace to keep in touch with their friends. Big Web portals that supply e-mail accounts to users, notably Yahoo! and MSN, are beginning to incorporate social-networking features into their offerings.

The Wall Street Journal

Digestif feels all warm and fuzzy
I don't know how many times I tell people: Marketing has changed, advertising isn't what it used to be, consumers don't want to be sold to purely so the advertiser can make money.
Consumers want to feel like they are a part of something.
They opt in to a product and they expect an array of utilities and facilities in return.
I'm not saying a product like a toothbrush should get into the mix. I don't expect my toothbrush to have a mobile site where I find my latest tooth hot tips. But, I do expect my heavily based user service products to step up to the plate and deliver to my needs. Making my life more convenient in the process.

As studies find that Facebook users are using their in boxes more frequently, it's good to see mail providers go in to the game from the reverse angle.

Some TV viewing stats for statisticians

TV is on eight hours a day in average U.S. home

Television viewing levels are holding steady, with Nielsen Media Research data indicating that, on average, a television was on for eight hours and 14 minutes per day in U.S. households from Sept. 18, 2006 to Sept. 23, 2007, a figure unchanged from the previous year.
Mediaweek

Digestif chases its tail
I think TV will stay steady. It may even grow.

There are so many conflicting arguments to this debate, I'm struggling to get my views in order.

However, the biggest things to think about are the new generations developing their 'new media habits', and sorry to the +55s out there, but you guys phasing out.
The new generations' standard media platforms are different to what once was. TV is a monolith. A big flat screen is sexy, but when are they actually home to watch it?
Handheld TV devices will escalate.
The only concern is, will these new audiences change their habits once they hit the lifestage of family+kids? Or will life stage continue to be a major factor, contributing to levels of home consumption increases once users have families??

Think it out.

Free TV shows may air on cellphones

Mobile-phone users will be able to tune into free, digital-quality local broadcast television on their mobile phones after the switch to all-digital broadcasts in 2009, if a plan by broadcasters takes effect. The plan involves beaming a special digital signal designed to fit the small screen that could be played by mobile devices equipped with TV tuners.
USA Today

What does the Digestif object to?

Nothing really. This is a pretty good idea.
I hear rumours that there is a feeling in the market, that American carriers extort their users. Yes, extort.
It's a hard truth, but that's the feeling. I just tell it like it is.

Once this launches it will be interesting to see what CTRs are like. My standing on the whole mobile/internet banner issue is that it is ineffective. A 1.5% average click through is not a good statistic. 98.5% of people are ignoring your ad. We aren't aiming for wastage campaigns, are we?

The model is still developing on both of these media. The model may even be something which is fluid. And we're beginning to see that the model is dictating targeting your specific audience, having fewer impressions, less reach but getting at least a 40% click through rate.

Call me crazy. I am. I won't mind.

The iPhone takes leaf out of the facebook-book

Apple Will Open iPhone To Outside Applications

APPLE IS OPENING THE IPHONE for third-party applications, CEO Steve Jobs said in a posting on the company's Web site Wednesday.

Digestif commentary
Sweet. This is going to shake things up a little.
And it's good to see Apple recognise the need to give the consumer what they ask for.
We'll probably end up seeing applications that take the existing users by storm.
Once we hit critical mass, then they'll be even newer applications which reach out to the mass consumers.
My obvious recommendation- be ahead of the curve on this one. You'll be drinking celebratory champagne till the cows come home!

Address Book 2.0: The Future of Social Media?

Wired
Wired says that the Web 2.0 iteration of the popular address book will be one of the main topics of conversation at this week's Web 2.0 conference in San Francisco. Address Book 2.0 refers to technology that knows where you are and what you're doing on the Web.

It's an advertiser's dream, allowing the company who controls it to finally deliver on the promise of behavioral targeting. Imagine if wherever you are, your friends and contacts would know how communicate with you through the best available means: email, cell phone, IM, SMS, etc. The Web 2.0 Address Book would enable this simply by clicking on a contact's name.

http://www.wired.com/software/webservices/news/2007/10/web2walkup

The digestif is knocked for 6

Holy jesus!
This is unbelievable for a user. Contact you really where you are, knowing what you're using.
For advertisers, it may be a bit evasive. But, lets keep an eye on it

Silicon Valley Start-Ups Awash in Dollars, Again

Link

By Ross Fadner,The New York Times

Silicon Valley bubble talk is bubbling up once again. The action this time is taking place in the private sector, leaving the public somewhat safer; even so, a wider bubble burst could drive inflation and send the economy into recession. The telltale signs are there: Internet companies with funny names, little revenue and few customers are commanding high prices. And once again, Internet advertising is being seen as a bottomless trough of cash on which to base one's business model.

Worryingly, audience inflation--not revenue--is driving up prices for Web firms, the very thing that brought about the first Internet bust. The social network Facebook is a good example; valuations of $15 billion are absurd. That's nearly half the market cap of Yahoo, a company earning 32 times Facebook's expected 2007 revenue.

The digestif spin

Some of these peeps have drunk a little too much Absinth.

i.e. delusional

I feel the reasons everyone is going nuts over these platforms is because the internet is a mess. TV is a mess, radio is a mess. There is still no tracking for outdoor...
We are battling for the consumers' attention, and if Facebook becomes the stickiest site in the market, well then, the demand will be greater and the squabbles better!

In the future, these sites will be the sites that deliver the most accuracy in targeting. It is crazy that some corporations are paying astronomical prices, but they see the future.
The only issue is picking the cream of the crop.

MySpace Will Host Sony BMG In Next-Generation Deal

Link

by Gavin O'Malley
MySpace has signed a new licensing agreement with Sony BMG Music Entertainment to host the label's various offerings. The deal marks MySpace's first partnership with a major record

Digestif view

This is great for mySpace. And it's great for meeting consumer demand.

At least one record label is back on the wagon.

I can see the PR helping artists and it's good that Sony is going to see some revenue through advertisers, but is it enough to come through the decimation of the old model?

The New Advertising Outlet: Your Life

Link

Nike continues to reduce its marketing allocation for traditional ads, earmarking 33% of its $678 million U.S. ad spend last year for TV and major media, vs. 55% a decade ago; the athletic shoemaker instead is placing a greater emphasis on building its presence on the Net and in-person events. "We're not in the business of keeping the media companies alive," Trevor Edwards, Nike's corporate VP for global brand and category management, said. "We're in the business of connecting with consumers."

What the digestif thinks

This is what I'm talking about!

Nike is at the top of the game.

If you need some guidance, follow Nike. Otherwise, just ask me for help!

Nielsen's New Online, Mobile Units Promise 360-Degree Insights

Link

Good one Nielsen, good one.

I just hope that you will be able to cross analyse all media consumption. I mean, after all, we don't consume each media platform in isolation...

Group accuses Unilever of ad hypocrisy

Link

OMG!

GIVE.ME.STRENGTH.

Why are people so silly? And act so naive?
Unilever is a massive corporate with interest in the bottom line. They don't give a smack's bang if the marketing campaigns of 2 products are contradictory, as long as product comes off the shelves.

I don't think Axe buyers will care. The marketing totally talks to them and they lap it up.
Dove purchasers may be a bit sympathetic and there might be problems here. I reckon with good PR it's salvageable.

Cool music video

An interactive music video Sweet- just play with it.
It's cool

Why didn't radiohead do it??

Dove's New 'Onslaught' Ad a Triumph - Garfield's Ad Review

Link

Oh Dove, the new media darling.

It is great- a great community for beauty. It still doesn't advertise any product.

There is also the disconnect between the fact that it is a beauty company. So what exactly are they trying to sell?

I do enjoy the ads. They're great. I feel glad that one company in the beauty industry recognises inner beauty. But where does that put Dove?

I'm still confused. I feel like a dog chasing its own tail.

How Radiohead Is Rewriting Rules of Online Revenue

Link This is what I'm talking 'bout!

I believe the future of advertising/media is meeting the consumer need and demand.
Consumers are beginning to get used to the idea that they make the choices. They pick the information/entertainment/product they are after and not only when they want it, but how they want it.

It's not worth pissing consumers off with silly tactics and ploys. A happy customer is a good customer! It needs loyalt first, but giving your consumer what they need is the path to that loyalty.

Radiohead proves it.

Facebook Grabs Fed-Up MySpace Users, Lifting Value

Link

Facebook, Facebook, Facebook.

That's all I ever hear, that's all I ever read.

From $1B to $10B, from developers to widgets, to migration. Great, great, great.

The thing is, I'm a bit sick of it. I think others are too and they're looking for the next hot social thing.

OR- is it just that Facebook serves some simple communication need in my life and it's fulfilling it in a simple way? It doesn't need to be 'whizz bang', it just needs to be functional.
The only improvements to be made on Facebook are those that make communicating to friends and your life easier?

Hmmm.... something to ponder

Internet creators say it's outdated

Link
These are smart fellas. I think I know what they're talking about.
My favourite line is from Roberts talking about what does and doesn't work: "I know because I designed it."

This new internet sounds feasible. The demand for better facilities, utilities and user experience will see a natural progression towards better internet.

It is only a matter of time and the only way I see it working is through some staggered migration program.

The new play doh bravia

And here is the finished version of the Bravia Ad.
I think this is the best one yet...

Sony Bravia | Play-Doh (via Yerom)

The new bravia ad

Sony Play Doh Teaser (via dalageli)

Bravia's new ad. Set to launch Friday.